Street-sweeper.



D. N. TOVVB.

STREET SWEBPER.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 7, 1913` Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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STREET SWEBPER.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 7, 19134 Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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D. N. TOWE.

STREET SWEBPER.

MPLIGATION FILED MAR. 7, 1913 l ,088,746. Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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STREET SWEEPER.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 7. m13.

l Patented M zfr. 3, 1914.

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D. N. TOWE.

STREET SWEEPER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 7. 1913.

PatentedMar. 3 1914.

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STREET SWEBPBR.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR.7,1913.

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D. N. TOWE.

STREET SWEEPER.

PPLIoATIoN FILED MAR. 7, 1913` 1,088,746. Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

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m l m www@ r my fvwvww@ @www DURWARD N. TOWE, OF WEST DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA.

STREET-SWEEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 7, 1913.

a touted Mar. 3., 1914. Serie! No. 752,703.

To all .whom lit may concern lie it known that I, Donwano N. Town, a citizen of the United States. residing at 1West ot' North Carolina, have invented` new and useful Improvements in StreeteSweepers, of which the following,- is a specification.

This invention relates to street Siveepers and has for an object to provide a device ci i this character which will be very compact' in torm so as to occupy a small amount of space, which will he very eliirient in operation. and which may be propelled by the use ot? a minimum amount of power.

A further object. is the provision of a street sweeper which is constructed so as to he particularly elicient in cleaning irregular surfaces, such as rough streets or streets having,- rar tracks thereon.

Another object is to provide a device ot this character which will occupy a very small amount of transverse'space and which muy he operated very close to curb stones oi' other limiting obstacles, and which will in suoli operation clean the street very near to the obstructions.

A still further object of the invention is the prorisioii olf removable means for housing the operative parts of the machine lo prevent the escape ot dust which may arise 'from the sweeping operation, and to provide further means for spi'inlcling r water upon the dust as it is collected in a receptacle provided for the purpose.

Anotherohject is to include a dust bin provided generally for the reception of the collected dirt and refuse matter, and a removable receptacl'e adapted to be mounted 1within the bin so as to receive. the said ret'- use matter in order to facilitate the operation of removing the latter from the bin.

still further object is the provision of readily operable means for dumping the re- Vmovable dirt ieceptaclc when desired.

Another object of the invention 1s to prov# vide readily operable means for rendering the sweeping device inoperative whenever desired. V

The invention consiststin the features'of construction combination and arrangement of parte, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the device showing the housing for the operative arts thereof `in closed position; Fig. 2 is a 'ront elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; 111g. 4. 1s a rear elevation; lug. 5 1s a side elevation ot the device showing the housing Durham, in the county ot [')urhain and State ft'or its operative parts in open position; Fig. 50

t' is a topplaii view thereof; Fig. is a rear I as lshown in Fie'. l

vertical sectional view through the device n Fig. 9 is a fragmentar i side elevation ofthe dust bin, showin# the 55 means t'or connecting the sup orting w ieels therefor with the sweeping be t in operative position l,"i,1 f. l() is a similar .View showing the said means inoperative; Fig. 1l. is a fragmentary bottoni plan view of the inclined guid 70 ing,r plane. showing the movable deectingi; fingers; Fig. IQ is a fragmentary top plan view ot` the same; Fig. lil is a transverse Seo tional view taken through a portion of' the dust bin, showing the cleaning comb in ele` ration; Fig. ll is a fragmentaryl rear elevation o't the adjusting means for the movable frame.; Fig. l5 is a detail sectional View taken transversely through a portion ot' the belt and sectional rollers associated with o the same; and. Fig. lt' is a transverse sec tional view taken through the dust bin.

lieferringr to the drawings, l designates the rectangular dust bin which has its upper end open and has the outer edges of its iront g5 and rear walls '2 and l out away as at at and 5 respectively, the cut away portion 5 being l ot' greater depth than the cutaway ortion 4t. The bottom wall or Hoor o of t e 'dust bin is provided adjacent the side walls il" o. and S thereof with longitudinal slots 9 and 10, respectively, for the reception of the wheels 11 and l2 which are journaled on the hearing' A.spindles 'ttl and 14 attached to auxiliary side walls 15 and lt provided adja' 95 cent said slots. Auxiliary top walls 17 andv 18 connect the upper edges of the walls 'l5 and 16, respectively, with the corresponding side walls proper of the bin so as to effec' tively shield the wheels lroin the dust eollected within the hin. The wheels .l1 and lf2 protrude through the slots Stand-10 siitli-v cient-ly to permit engagement thereof with the street, so that the hin is thus mounted upon the said wheels for movement along the street or other surface to be cleaned. The bin is further provided with ,an opening 19 having a hinged closure 2O therefor. A substantiallji7 V'shapcd platform 2l extends forI rwardly from the bottoni of the dustbilnnd A removable `dirt receptacle 23, mounted upon rollers 24 'es adapted to be positioned upon the platform 2l and to be moved into the bin l through the said opening 19 When the closure 20 is in open position.. The side Walls of the receptacle are daredv outwardly as at so as to cover the auxiliar?,T @Walls 17 ated 18 provided Within the bin, and bus areal l s the interior of the bin `so that all the dustl'alling into the bin will be accumulatedA Within .thereceptacle lined frame 25 extends-rearwardly fromsthe bin l and includes the parallel side members 26 which are lixedly attached to the'hides `of, the'bin adjacent the upper I '-end thereof. ,'Each traine member 26 inlas cludes a horizontal portion 27 and a downwardly eatendinr end portion 28 having a f the yupper rear corners thereof as at 34, and

'. of the connecting,

which are maintained inproper relative position With-respect to each other by means cross braces Each member 33 comprises airinclined portion 36, a horizontal portion 37 and an upright portion 38 extending upwardly from the rear end-.ot the latter. An inclined deflecting plate 39 is'I pivotally to the upper edge of the rear and is disposed with its major portion parallel to the inclined portions 33 of the movable ?ramemembers. The inner end of this plate is inclined downwardly as at 4l for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter. its outer rearmost end is disposed beneath the angle formed between the inclined and horizontal portions of the movable frame members, and is supported by casters 42, which are adapted to move in any direction upon the street. A'transversely extending roller 43 is pivotally mounted, in spaced relation to `the outer, active face 44.

, of the member 39 at the lower rear edge ot the same, between the bearing brackets 45 attached to the member 89.

A. roller 46, including; the independently and vertically1 movable sections 47, is mounted between tbe movable frame members 32 -at the angle formed between their horizontal and upright portions 37 and 38 in a ibed. Each. end provided with manner which will be de ezt the roller sections ,oa supporting member 50. ,porting members are vertically movable to prpvide a mouth of substantially ths-amo attached as at 40- bin .wall 3- ineens@ I a tapered recess 4S, and the recess 48 in the adjacent ends oi" the roller sections is adapted to receive the tapered, oppositely extendingplntles 49 formed on the lower end These su pthrough properly spaced openings in a transverse attaching bar l connecting the upright portions 3S of the movable -trame members.' Each member 50 is provided beneath the bar 5l in spaced relation thereto with an annular flange 52. 53 is mounted upon the member 50 between the said Piange and the bar 5l. Each member 50 is further provided at Aits upper end with a limiting head 54 adapted to engage the upper face of the bar 5l to limit the downward movement ot the said member as caused by the corresponding spring It will thus be seen that l have provided tor slight tilting movement. of the roller sections 4'? as caused bythe vertical movement of the adjacent ends olf different pairs ot rollers, the purpose of which will vbe described presently. v l

A second similarly constructed roller 55 including the same number of /section's 5G as the sections 47 of the roller 46, is dis` posed in superimposed relation to the said roller 46, it being mounted above a second adjacent bar 57 connecting the upright por tions of the movable frame members adjacent the upper ends thereof, by means ol." supporting members 58, Which latter constructed similarly to the previously described members 50. These members 5S are disposed in inverse relation to the members 50, the helical springs 59 surrounding the same being positioned above the bar 'l'vso as to support the said members, due to the engagement of the upper ends rof the springs with the annular flanges G0 formed on said members. The limiting heads 61 are thus disposed beneath the bar 57 for limiting engagement with the under face thereof.

A sweeping element 62 in the form of an endless belt including the'slightly spaced sections 63, is movable around the rollers 43., 4G, and 55, and also is extended into the dust bin through the cutaway portion 5 thereof and passes around an operating roller 64 r0- A helical spring l ecV iio

tatably mounted therein upon the transverse shaft 65. The belt sections G3 pass around the respective roller sections 47 and 56 of.

during inward ymovement thereoif se tof lil Mtl

torce 'the collected dust and other refuse up the said member into the dust'l hin. IThe in 'clined inner end ttl of the member 3l) is disposed at such an angle that the bristles titl will be caused to gradually' assume theirI ex tended position alter passing.;I over the inclined portion ol the dcllccting member, so that the relfusc matter will not be tlirown toward the liirward end of the receptacle alone, as would be the case were the bristles allowed to spring' suddenly into exteni'lcd posi `ion. 'lhis lfcatnre ol construct ion'tcnds to prevent unnecessary scatter-ine( ol dust within the bin. theprtwention ot' which is one ot the primary objects ol thc invention.

lin order to facilitate the action o'l"` the brushes carried by the swcepine' element; in :Forcing: the dirt from the street on to thc ,lellectineA nicaiber ill), l ha re provided a plurality of vertically movable, inclined lingers HT which are pirotcd by means of transverse pivot members (3S to the lower edge ot the member 3f). These lingers IST are normalbiT maintained in spaced relation to each other h v means ot springs lll) mounted upon thc pivot members tt in interposed relation to the lingers, so that there will be little frion ingcis during: their relation between the t tive vertical movement as caused by the lin- ,gers passing; over irregular surfaces, or obstrru'titam, such as street car tracks and the like.

ln order to prevent, dirt t'rorn passing tl'iroug'h the spaces TO through the lingers GT and thus hindering' the operation of Yforcing the .saine on the inclined delict-ting incinber, lf have provided l'lexible connecting members Tl connected beneath thc fingers and spanning the said spaces. These menu bers Tl are secured in suit able manner to the adjacent edgesmit the fingers (3T .so as to present loose Folds, whicli will not hinder lthc ,relative movement ot' the fingers, but which will serve as detlectingl surfaces adapted to be engaged. by portions ot the sweepingr brushes which are adapted to extend between the lingers GT as they pass on to the iletlccting nnanbers.

in or ler to prevent unnecessaryv noise, which would result 'trom direct contact hetwccn the lingers (37 and the street, especialltv1 when passing over irregular surfaces, it is desirable to provide brackets T2 beneath i the fingers tjo which are pivotallv attached the supprn'tinp,l wheels 73, which latter may (be cimeli-tufted oli rubber, or sonic such clastic material if'desired. y

lin order 'to maintain the horizontal sweeping portion ot the Sweeping' clement in proper engagement with the street at all times, l have attached a 'vertically disl'ioscd connecting rod 7st to the horizontal portion iti' of cach movable frame member 3L as at l, which is adapted to extend upwardly th` 'r2-i vertically movable operating arm 77 having` a lateral stub shaft 78 at the forward end thereot which Ais rotatably mounted within a bearing 7S) depending from thehori- Zout-al portion 27 ol" the corresponding fixed l'ranie member 2G. Annular (langes S0 and 8l are provided upon the rod 74, in spaced relation to the upper and lower `face respectively, of the arrn 77, and helical springs 8:2 and, S3 are interposed between the said llannesand the arms TT for a purpose which will be presently described.

l have provided a housing S-l which adapted to inclose the operative parts ot' the weeping portion ot' the machine, which includes the fixed and movable frames and the major portion ol thc sweepingi element. This housingr includes the t'oldalole side portions Ff: and tht` toldaile connecting` and rctaining portion 8G which latter is adapted lo cover the top and rear end ot.' this portion ot the machine. The side portion 85 of the housing consists ot' thil hinged sections 8T, which are adapted to bc .swungr outwardly, after the connectingl portion S6 has been collapsed, in order to permit access to the abm'c described operative partsI of the machine. The sections S7 are provided on either inner Al'acc adjacent the upper ends thereof with horizontal cleats SS which are adapted to be in alineinent when the said sections are extended into operative position so as to hecome engaged with the upper edges of the horizontal portions 26 ot' the xed frame members, so that the latter will aid in supporting the said housing sections. thus removing considerable strain from the hinges S!) connecting' the said sections with each other' and with the rearwardly extendingr attaching portions 1)() ot' the dust. bin. The sections Ul ot' thc housing portion Sti are oppositel)1 hinged to each other as at 92 and 93 alternately so as to facilitate the folding of the saine into a compact I nass, as shown particularly ,in Fig. o', and are provided with invardly extending side flanges 91h which latter are adapted to engage the outer side 'faces of thc side portions of the housing' adjacent theI upper edges thereof so as to effec tively retain the saine in operative position against the tixed n'ienibers. The hinges 92 are leal hinges connected to the outer faces o't' the sections 91 at the meeting edges thereot, whereas the hinges 93 are ,in the form of links attached pivotally to the retaining flanges 94 at the meetinglr edges thereof.`as shown in the drawings, but it is to be understood that any suitable form of hinge which will accomplish the desired pun'bose may be resorted to in practice withoii departing trom the general scope of thel invent-ion. 'lhc innermost section 91 is hinged as at 95 to thc upper rear corners of the dttst bin.

The rearmost section 8?: of each side p0ra working; slot 76 in the and of a l tion of the housing :is provided with un ach instable hand lever 9G on the outer facet thereof,v whose lixedly attached pixv'oting shaft. 9? extends through an opening in the said section into thelintrrior of the housing', where it provide/,l with a tapered angular engaging extremity .)8 adapted for engagement within a siniilarl)v shaped reifeirl ing socket 99 provided in the outer cud olf the stub shaft 'T8 formed on the operatingr arm TT. The lockingtooth itl() earrietilhy the lever 96 is engageahle with the rack :nent 101, that the operatingarui T2" may he moved into ilitl'erent rerti allyaclliustedprasitions and loelted therein, so as to secure the horizontal sweeping streteh of the sweeping element in either its lowernlosl. operative position. or in elm'atetl, inoperative posi lion. llpon nim'ei'nent ot the said portion ot' the :nveepiuoelementy into inope battre im sition, the lower end ot the tlefieeting1 plate 3) will be elevated due to the fat-t. thtt up-l ward preesure will be exerted on the roller il-3, which serres to maintain the sweeping element` in proper parallel relation to the said delieeting); plate. A curved enlargement 10Q is formed on the outer iace of the rearmoet. section JST. ot each side portion ot the housing adjacent the lower edge thereof to provide means for engagement with curb-- stones or like obstructions, to prevent scraping` of the saine against the side portions ot' the housin The operating roller tilt, which is rotatalily n'iounted within the dust bin includes active. sections lGLpairs o'l toothed nears 104e interposed between aid sections. short spacing sections 105 interposed between the gears ot each pair, and the shaft 65 includ.- ing' a rectangular body portion lOG, upon which said roller sections and gears are mounted and held against rotation thereon, and the reduced, cylindrical. end portions l0?f mounted within suitable hearings 10S in the side walls of the bin. The belt, sec tions pass around the active sections 10i-3 o the said shaft, and the sprocket chains 109 secured to the side edges of the said loelt sections are in engagement with the gears 104C.

ln order to provide means for sweep ing dirt. which may he disposed upon the street or upon the inclined (lei'ieoting plate 3l) between the spaced adjacent edges ot' the loeltl sections` anxiliary brush sections 110 are preferably secured to the outer faces ot' alternatehelt set-tions :it both sides thereof so as to overlap to a considerable extentithe spares intervening, hctween said belt. seotions and the sections adjacent thereto,

ngz.. 2.

These. auxiliary brush sections are prefer alilv disposed between alternate rows of the main brush sections. g

A. sprocket wheel lll :is tixedly mounted l upon the enti ofthe shaft 65 adjacent' the side wall ot the inet bin and disposed l Loewe@ in alineinent with a sprocket; wheel 119, rotatably mounted upon the shaft- 113 mounted between the said side Wall S and the auxiliary wall lt. This sprocket wheel 112 is iizetlly eoiniected to a second, and @reifen alilv large. Virooltet wheel 114:, whirchvis rol tatahle with the sprocket i12 upon the snail:-

'l l Il. sprocket. chain 115 connects the sproeltet wheel lll with the sprocket 112.

A short. shaft il@ entends inwardly through the side wall S of the dust bin adjacent theltrout edge. thereof through an arcuate slot lliconve ntrie. with the. slia'tt M3, its outerk end being preteraiily rectangular in section and sliclalily nioiuited within the hiiurcated inner arni "ll ol an adjustable hand lever lll) piroted at lltl to the outer :tace ott-he side wall 8. :sprocket wheel lill. is rotatably mounted upon the inner end of the vuatt llG and connected with the spreche lll lul means of a sprocket chain 122. Upon adjustment oi' the hand lever lll), the shet't ltt together with the sprocket wheel lQl. will he adjusted vertically. The lower stretch lili-3 of the chain lfZZ may thus he brought into engagement. with a sprocket wheel 124, which is fixedly attached to the supporting wheel lf2, or may hereinoved 'lroin engagement therewith. provided tor throu/ing the sweeping. element into or out of gear with the wheels 1Q,

Means is thus which latter serres as a source ot'power for moei-ating the sweeping element., during motion et the sweeper as a whole along a street to be cleaned,

A cleaning comb 19.5 extends transversely through the upper portion of the dust bin, and includes the rearwardly extending and slightly upwardly inclined teeth lQ adapted tor engagement with the sweeping brushes so as to remove any dirt that may have adhered to the saine, before thej,7 pass again into operative position. is provided adjacent. its ende with :rectan-` gular heads lili' ".vi'iich are adapted to more slidahly within horizontal guides; QS, thus preventing rotary movement oit the comb. rThe extremities V29 thereof are movable within the slots ,1.30 in the side walls 'of the dust bin communicating withtlie guides t28 secured to the inner Ytaees ot the said walls. Forwardly extending, threaded 'arms l'l project, laterally troni the saiol extremities '129 and are slidaloly movable through the spaced, apertured lugs formed on the exterior tace of the said side Walle. An adjusting nut 1433 is threaded upon each arm lill. between the corresponding pair of lugs 32., whereby means is afforded by which the comb may loe adjusted in proper relation to the sweeping element whenever the oeca- Y This comb cut-away portions 4 and 5.4i This tank is provided adjacenttheforward, free end thereofwith a supply opening 136 having l'a threaded closure plug 137` therefor, and is .further provided on the innerV faces of its end walls 138 and 139 with transversely eX- tending guide ridges 140, between which and the bottom wall 141 of the tank yis mounted for slight, transverse sliding movement, a

.perforated valve plate 142. The perforations 143 of the valve plate are adapted tof be brought 'into registration with the per.-

forations 144 provided in the bottom Wall` 142 of the tank, upon. properfadjustment of the adjusting member 145, which is thread- -ed into an opening 146v in the side wall 147 of the tank, and whose inner end isrotat-ablyf att-ached as at 148 to the adjacent side edge of the valve plate'142. Upon'operag tionof the member 145, the rate atwhieh water orsuch liquid maj.` be lsprinkled upon necessary to sprinkle the 4water rapidly the dust in thedus't bin and the sweeping element, as it moves through the same, may

be regulated to 'suit the requirement of usage. In hot, dry`weather it will become upon the dust as it' passes into the bin,

whereas, in damp Weather the rate of sprinkling may be greatly reduced.

. I n order to' provide readily operable means A forinverting the removable `receptacle 23, .When the same has been rolled out from the bin onto the plat-form 21, so that its contents may be dum edl at any desired'point, I have at` be collapsed-1n an unobstructlng position when not 1n use., This attachment includes provided a umping attachment which may a horizontally'adjustable farm 149 which 'is pivotedprefer'ably by means of the-bracket 150 to the front wall of the' bin upon the exterior thereof. A head 151 is formed on the free end of this` arm and has a pulley wheel 152- journaled transversely therein.

,The upper face of the head 151 .is provided with intersecting grooves 153 and 154 therein for the reception of a second, adjustable arm 155, which is pivoted to the head 151 by 4meansof a 'vertical pivot pin -156,and is adapted to be normally"1naintainecl in engagement with one of* the grooves 153 and 154 by meansof a helical spring 157 carried by .the said bin and interposed between the head 158 provided thereon and the said arm.

A pulley wheel=159 is longitudinally journaled at. the outer free end of the arm y155.

.A flexible cable 160 is adapted to be mounted uponthe pulley wheel 152, and is pnovided with. diverging end portions 161 having hooks 162 provided thereupon for enga-gement within the, attaching rings 163 prov ided uponthe end walls of the receptacle 23 l Centers of their upper edges. A second cableon the outer faces thereof and adjacentv the 164 is movable around-the pulley wheel 159 andhas one end attached by .means of a hook any suitableniea'ns, after the arm 155 has been' swung linto a position at right angles to the arm-149, so that the receptacle may be tilted sufficiently to dump the' contents.

From the foregoing description, taken in l connection with the aceompanyinfr drawings,

itwill. be seen that I have provided a street sweeper constructed so as to be very efficient in operation uponV either`sm`ootl1 or irregular surfaced streets, and whichwill be practically noiseless in operation and will not fill the atmosphere -with dust.

What is claimed is: l 1. In a street sweeper, a portable frame,

an operating roller journaled in said frame,

a detlecting plate extending rearwardly from' beneath J t 1e said roller and downwardly therefrom to the surface to be swept, a second, vertically movable roller mounted upon the frame in spaced relation to the operating roller, the said second roller including a plususl ralit-y of sections having their adjacent ends slightly-spaced and provided with central recesses', a plurality of vertically yieldable` 'supporting members, each-having its lower 'end disposed between the adjacent ends of the Vsaid roller sections andhavirnif,r oppositely disposed pivot points engaging the recesses thereof,- a third vertically movable roller disposed in superimposed relation to the secondnamed roller and inclilding relativelymovable sections, vertically yieldable pivoting means supporting the adjacent ends of the 4said sections upon the frame, anda sweeping element in the form of an endless belt passingr raround the said rollers and includ-v ing sections so as t'obe accommodated to the sections of the movable" rollers. 2. In a street sweeper, a portable lframe, an 'operating roller yjournaled in' saidframe,

a detlecting plate extending rearwardly" from i beneath the said roller and downwardly therefrom to the surface to -be swept, a second, vertically' movable roller mounted upon the4 frame in spaced relation toth'e operatingroller, thesaid second roller including a plurality of sections having their adjacent ends 4slightly spaced and provided with central recesses, a plurality ot vertically yieldable y supporting members, each having its lower end disposed between the adjacent ends of the said roller sectionsand having oppositely disposed pivot points engaging the recesses :and including relatively movable Sections, vertically yieldglble vpivotf 'lng-means' supporting the, adjacent en ls of tthesaid,sections upon' the frame, a' sweeping @lement in the form/of an'endles's beltpzpssf' fing arounclthe said rollers lancl-includlvlg {sect-ions so as tube' acc'qmmodated to' the sefaces thereof www@ in ftlfangversely alningJpgtdinaIly spaced rows, and auxiliary brushes' --ntrpofs'ed 'between lmae main brushesuponltemate,

overlap the Spaces xbet-Wekenl the samev u ncll the4 in present-e nfltw'o Witnessej TEGWE.

ahw. .HARMAN 

